Top six transfers in men's college basketball in wild, NIL-centric offseason
The men's college basketball transfer portal has reached a new level of frenzy this offseason, with the NCAA's adjusted rules coming right as NIL opportunities are flashing in abundance for Division I players searching for new schools.
The start of May is when players could provide their written request to enter the portal to be eligible for the 2022-23 season, opening up the free agency-esque floodgates for teams to build their respective rosters.
There's plenty more moves to come, with a laundry list of elite transfers yet to pick a program. But for now, a look at the top six transfers.
Kendric Davis, Memphis
The 5-11 sparkplug guard put his name in the portal after SMU coach Tim Jankovich retired. He guided the Mustangs to three consecutive winning seasons and was the AAC player of the year in 2021-22. Davis will stay in the same conference and provide instant fire to coach Penny Hardaway's offense. Davis can score – averaging 19.4 points last season – but is just as talented at creating for others, averaging 7.6 assists a game in 2020-21.
Nijel Pack, Miami (Fla.)
Pack drew national headlines for the $800,000 endorsement deal he made with LifeWallet, an NIL opportunity that clearly played a persuading factor in the Kansas State transfer picking the Hurricanes. Pack is an explosive guard who was first-team all Big 12 after averaging 17.4 points and shooting 44 percent from three-point land for a pedestrian KSU squad in 2021-22.
Baylor Scheierman, Creighton
The Summit League player of the year, Scheierman was the star on the Jackrabbits' 30-win team that nearly played Cinderella in last season's NCAA Tournament. The 6-6 crafty guard averaged 16.2 points a game while shooting 47% from beyond the arc. He'll be a perfect fit in coach Greg McDermott's system in Omaha, Nebraska, as the Bluejays look to contend in the Jay Wright-less Big East in 2022-23.
Johni Broome, Auburn
The Morehead State transfer is among the top names of mid-major stars to elevate to power programs. The 6-10 forward has jump-out-of-the-gym athleticism and a high motor in the open court, having blocked 131 shots last season while averaging 16.8 points and 10.5 rebounds as a freshman. His sophomore campaign should be a big one while giving the Tigers a frontcourt player to wreak havoc in the SEC.
Terrence Shannon Jr., Illinois
Shannon Jr. was a key player for Texas Tech's Sweet 16 team that took Duke to the wire in March. The 6-6 guard only averaged 10.4 points for the defensive-oriented Red Raiders but expect his offensive production to spike on the Fighting Illini, who cashed in big with this pickup.
KJ Williams, LSU
Williams is following his former coach, Matt McMahon, to LSU after he was the top player on Murray State's 31-win squad that garnered a No. 7 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Expect Williams' game to translate nicely, as former teammates Trae Hannibal and Justice Hill also joined McMahon in Baton Rouge.
Follow college basketball reporter Scott Gleeson on Twitter @ScottMGleeson.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: College basketball has crazy transfer portal. Here's our top six moves
